This really funky bit of advertising was for Wordsworth books by Saatchi and Saatchi AtPlay, and has a brochure come alive to visually depict what the words on the page are-it’s so cool it’s practically geek. I’ll let you watch the video to better understand what I mean (you’ll need to click through to see it; I can’t seem to link to it from here). The coolest part is that this took place in the V&A Waterfront right here in my hometown!

The advertising is being called “augmented reality”, and I suspect we’ll start seeing a lot of this in months to come. I like the direction that advertising is going: it’s becoming more than just telling consumers what and where and why, and actually involving consumers. What do you think about this?

Here’s an advert about mowing the lawn. “Boring!” you might say. But what if I told you that they’re advertising a lady’s shaver? Any takers now?

Now, I’ve got some questions:

Why is that her favourite activity? Does she have nothing better to do? Do women really look forward to these things?

Does anyone see any stereotyping of any kind here? Do I hear “bonsai” anywhere?

At the end, is she stroking a shaven, um, cat?

I love it when marketers change everyday language into something new. Consider a conversation: “Honey, would you please go mow the neighbour’s lawn? Her husband’s away for the weekend and… oh, you all ready? Glad to see you’re so eager to help out.”

Recently in the UK, Benylin launched a campaign for people to “Have a Benylin day”, ie. take the day off sick. Some people weren’t too happy with this. But it sort of crept into the language for a while.

Some effective, although questionable, marketing. But then again, what good marketing isn’t? It made me want to go out and buy one — just to try out the jingle, that is.

The archsceptic professor Richard Dawkins today launched Britain’s first atheist campaign posting the message: “There’s probably no God. So stop worrying and enjoy your life” on the side of 800 British buses.

“probably“?

Organisers of the four-week campaign said they had included the word “probably” because they did not want to be dogmatic in the way that so many religious leaders are.

Reaction from Atheists:

Hanne Stinson, chief executive of the British Humanist Association, said: “The incredible response to the Atheist Campaign shows just how many atheists out there have been looking for a voice. Now that the buses are rolling out across the country, I feel sure that everyone with non-religious beliefs who spots one of these buses on the streets will be delighted to see what this amazing appeal has achieved.”

Reaction from religions:

Many Christian groups and churches welcomed the campaign for putting God into such a prominent position in the public eye.

Paul Woolley, director of the religious think tank Director of Theos, said: “We think that the campaign is a great way to get people thinking about God. The posters will encourage people to consider the most important question we will ever face in our lives.